Immunizations and Refugees

Abstract

The current chapter focuses on the immunization programs for refugee populations entering the US. Access to immunization against vaccine-preventable disease is a prime determinant of the health of refugee populations. Refugees are one of the few groups of immigrants to USA who are not required to have any vaccinations prior to arrival. Refugees are infrequently up-to-date with age appropriate vaccinations as recommended by Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). It is mandated that at the time of applying for adjustment of status from legal temporary resident to legal permanent resident (1 year or more after arrival), a refugee must be fully vaccinated in accordance with recommendations of the ACIP. It is the role of clinicians conducting the refugee domestic health assessment to accurately interpret vaccine histories and to "... prevent the importation of infectious diseases and other conditions of public health significance into the US..." Thus, the challenge of determining when and whom to vaccinate goes hand-in-hand with the need to identify individuals who are carriers of vaccine-preventable disease. Thanks to the efforts of the World Health Organization (WHO) Extended Program on Immunization, many more children over the last 30 years have received a full series of measles, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, and Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine than their elders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)